Uptown Bistro in Old Town will close

After months of speculation — and some denials —Melad Stephan says he's closing Uptown Bistro on April 2.

"That store hasn't lived up to my standards in food and service and sales," he says. "I'll take the blame for some of it. Or most of it."

Stephan signed a new five-year lease last month.

"I'm not going to leave that spot. I'm going to do something with it someday."

He's working on a new concept, but he won't share details yet.

Stephan grew fed up with Uptown Bistro.

"I told them the other day, if I hear one more complaint, I'm shutting the doors down," he says. "I'm done with everybody."

Stephan says he couldn't be there enough to oversee and correct operations.

He also owns Sabor Latin Bistro , Egg Cetera , Oeno and Press .

So has he considered perhaps limiting himself to only one or two restaurants?

"I have in the past," Stephan says. "You know what? You do one thing ... you get bored with it."

He says he could don his chef's coat and revive Uptown Bistro on his own, but he doesn't want to.

"Do I have the passion and the time and the effort to do it at this stage in my life? I don't."

He's been in the restaurant business 25 years.

"You know, just the routine kills you. You want to advance your life."

Look for an update on the space as soon as Stephan makes a final decision.

Where's Schurman?

One of the city's best-known orthopedic surgeons has left the practice he co-founded to return to the group that originally hired him in Wichita.

John Schurman II joined Advanced Orthopaedic Associates in 1998 but left in 2002 to form the Kansas Joint & Spine Institute , where he's been president until last week.

"I'm a surgeon, but I'm also a businessman," Schurman says.

He says if you don't treat a practice as a business, "Then all of a sudden you're not viable as a business."

Schurman says surgeons have to be fairly like-minded and work well together.

"Then, that's going to be a successful unit."

So does that mean he didn't have that at the Kansas Joint & Spine Institute?

"Well, I think that you could imply that you have to have a common thought, a common pathway, and I thought I could achieve that better where I am now."

Practice size, patient volume and number of orthopedic specialties at Advanced Orthopaedic Associates played roles in Schurman's move.

That group has 14 physicians. Kansas Joint & Spine Institute has four partners.

His partners at Advanced Orthopaedic Associates are a "very forward thinking" business unit, Schurman says.

They're opening a 3,000-square-foot west-side office at Via Christi Hospital on St. Teresa .

The group's main office is at a 40,000-square-foot building at 2778 N. Webb Road.

"The world around us has changed considerably in the last several years," Schurman says. "There will be negotiations ahead of us that we probably haven't had before."

It used to be more simple, he says.

"In days gone by, a patient would come to you, and you'd take care of them."

These days, he says, "It's not unreasonable to think there would be control by the payers in how patients are directed."

Schurman says health care plans will align with surgeons "who are good at what they do and are best able to do that efficiently."

Most of this was the impetus behind Schurman's move.

"That, along with some other things I'm not going to talk about," he says.

He adds, "I have no ill feelings or ill will."

A representative of the Kansas Joint & Spine Institute declined comment.

Schurman, who performed almost 800 surgeries last year, will be a partner at Advanced Orthopaedic Associates.

"It's fine because it allows me to concentrate on what I like to do most," he says.

"Coming back was kind of like coming back home, and they've been very gracious."

He plans on staying permanently this time.

"I'm going out of here with a toe tag on. Or a retirement letter. One of the two."

You don't say

"Shhh. Don't tell anybody."

—Derby economic development director Allison Moeding , who, when called about another new yogurt shop coming to the city (Yogurtini is locating where Smashburger used to be), admitted to not being a yogurt fan though she plans on buying plenty for her kids

This story was originally published March 24, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Uptown Bistro in Old Town will close."